the unfamiliar sled parked in front of the house. Cautiously, Inari slowed up obediently and studied the sleeping dogs still in harness. Mrs. Dawson and Catherine were talking to a tall man. Catherine didn’t look happy at all… that made Inari nervous. The sled pulled to a stop a few feet away from the group and Mr. Dawson secured the sled, leaving Catherine to undo the team while he talked to the strange man. As soon as she was set loose, Inari followed Catherine to the barn, where the two men had gone to talk in private.

“How much do we owe you, Mr. Towns?” Mr. Dawson asked gravely.

            “More then I think you can afford” the tall man replied just as low.

Mr. Dawson breathed heavily, took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I’m sorry. With the Depression and my wife’s illness, it’s been kind of hard to work…”

            “Well there a few ways you can pay us back” Mr. Towns offered.

“I’m not selling my house… it’s all we have”

            “The dogs”

Catherine gasped and Inari’s stomach lurched. Catherine stroked Inari’s brown fur, letting Inari feeling her hands shake.

“But they’re family” Mr. Dawson said desperately. “My daughter would never forgive me!”

            “It’s either that or we foreclose the house”

Mr. Dawson gulped and nodded. Catherine muffled another gasp and scrambled to her feet. Then she took off running, Inari close on her heels and feeling the same way she was sure her master was feeling.

 

            Later on that night, Inari found out that what she heard was indeed true. She told the rest of the team, making them as miserable as she felt. They all loved their master as much as Inari did. He was kind to them. What would happen to them now? Only the next day would tell them…

 

            The sun’s early rays glared off the snow Inari had predicted. A lone figure slipped out of the house and snuck into the barn. Once out of the cold, Catherine closed the door and found Inari, stroking her fur gently to wake her up. Inari’s blue eyes flickered open and she smiled when she saw Catherine’s face.

“Inari, my dad is selling you today” Catherine told the hybrid sadly.

Inari’s stomach lurched again.

“I came to say goodbye before Mr. Towns came to take you away”

Inari licked Catherine’s hand. She could tell Catherine was trying very hard not to cry.

“I’m gonna miss you Inari”

Tears finally squeezed out and one ran down Catherine’s nose. She muffled a sob and buried her face into Inari’s coat. Inari felt like crying herself, but she couldn’t in front of Catherine. A few moments later, the sounds of barking dogs filled the yard and the front door to the house closed as Mr. Dawson went out to greet Mr. Towns. With a final hug, Catherine got up and left. The rest of the team woke up and gathered by the barn doors. One by one, Mr. Towns and another man came with ropes and tied the dogs to the back of his sled. Inari was the last to be tied but as soon as she was, Mr. Towns and the other man went to shake hands with Mr. Dawson and hopped on the sled. The team pulled away and Inari’s team followed. Inari glanced over her shoulder. Catherine smothered a sob and hugged her mother. Inari whined and tried to go back to Catherine.

Stupid rope! Inari thought, trying to escape it. It was no use. With a final glance back, Inari tilted her head and howled, draining every sorrowful emotion she had. Hoping Catherine had heard, she lowered her head and followed the rest of the team into the unknown.

 

Chapter 4

Inari found out that her new owner didn't use his dogs for a dog team at all; he used them to fight. Mr. Towns shoved her into a cramped cage at his home out in an abandoned barn with several other unfortunate dogs. He didn't even bother to take her muzzle off. Inari's eyes frantically darted from cage to cage. Beaten up dogs, dogs missing ears, dogs with hundreds of scars: the place was a nightmare. Inari shifted into an uncomfortable position, trying to get some rest.

"Hey, hey you."

 Inari looked to her right. A grinning mutt stared back at her. He whispered to the dog next to him.

"Look what we's gots here, Nails."

Inari's stomach tumbled. Who are these odd dogs? And why does he talk differently?

"Yous' new hea?"
"Huh?"

"Yous' new hea?" the dog repeated.
"Yes. Why?" Inari haughtily responded.

"Cause', yous' the in for deep trouble when The Master gets trou's wit you," the dog said. Inari's eyes widened and she scooted away from him in her cage. Guffaws erupted from either side of her. A tear slid down Inari's cheek. She hastily wiped it away. You’re  part wolf! Show your wolf side.

Her hackles rose as she said, "Back off and shut up!"

The scrawny dog sniggered.

"She's got a tempah'. And whaddya' gonna' do about it, sistah'?"

"Leave me alone!" Inari snarled.

The whole barn became suddenly quiet.

"Now keep you're mouth shut for the rest of the night!" she snapped.

"Yes'm," the dog squeaked.

Inari curled up. Maybe I'll get used to this place...

*                                  *                                  *

Mr. Towns woke Inari up early the next day and stole her away to a shady street. A crowd of men surrounded two dogs fighting. Inari had nothing to do but watch. The bigger dog; a dark gray husky, gave a killing grip to the weaker, and let him fall out of his jaws. Three quarters of the men cheered and exchanged money. Inari felt sick to her stomach. The night before, she'd heard the dogs talking about some sort of "initiation". This had to be it. Two other dogs fought before her. The same gray dog overturned a tan dog the same size as him. Inari wanted to run. She'd be next. After the 'arena' was cleared, Inari's owner unbuckled her muzzle and shoved her into the ring. The gray dog lowered his eyebrows, a half smirk on his face.

"Now don't expect me to go easy on yah' since you're a lady," he said, circling her.

Inari focused on his every move, calling upon her wolf hunting instincts. I have to corner him, distract him somehow. She growled and kept glancing past the dog, trying to get him distracted. Her plan worked. He took a moment to check out what Inari was looking at. Inari lunged at him, fangs bared and claws extracted. Inari let the wolf part of her do the rest. The dog was thrust on his back, with a growling female in his face. He knocked her aside with a powerful arm, and lurched to his feet. Panting, he latched his teeth on Inari's neck and dragged her halfway across the arena. Inari struggled, feeling her neck becoming more and more sodden with every effort. She stared him in the eye, her amber irises pleading. She could've sworn she'd seen his eyes soften for only a second, but a second was all she needed to make a break for it. She wriggled free and kicked the dog in his side. Inari dug her incisors inches away from his esophagus and slid him to his owner's boots. She trotted up to her master, and lashed to glare the beaten dog in his weary eyes.If you don't want to end up looking ridiculous, don't mess with me!

When Inari returned home with her pleased owner, she expected to get a heavy slice of raw meat and a stay indoors, but he just locked her up in the cage again and threw in a piece of dried venison through the bars. Inari sniffed it and stuck her nose up. You expect me to eat this? The rickety barn door slammed, and the dogs started talking all at once.

"Yous' got a bit of veni'! Yous' ‘as won!" the dog next to her chirped.

Inari stared at the meat again then looked at the dog.

"Do you want it?"

His head bobbed up and down.

 "Here, take it."

 Inari tossed the stale meat into the dog's cage. A fight erupted from the cage beside his.

"So ya' won? That's a first."

Inari swiveled to see the dog to her left.

"And you might be..."

"Nutik, so they call me."

Inari cocked her head.

 "Did you loose you're ear in a fight?"

"Yes, and I almost lost my life too."

Curiosity roused Inari.

"Who were you fighting?"

"A bulldog named, 'Petey'. You have to watch out for those bulldogs, they're killers."

 "They don't look like 'killers'," Inari retorted.

"Ohhh, but they are. They bred them so that they look stupid and awkward, but in reality; they're deadly."

Inari wondered how this kind dog ended up in such a harsh environment.

 "Well, I have to go to sleep. I've got a big fight tomorrow," Nutik said as he curled up in a ball.

Inari did the same, wishing that Nutik wouldn't have to fight a bulldog. When daybreak's rays filtered through the old barn's cracks, Inari found Nutik gone. She made up her mind to speak with him if he returned. Her stomach contracted from the lack of food the night before. I wish I'd eaten that meat. She sat up and squeezed her nose between the bars. All the other dogs were starting to get up. She sighed and sat back down. The rest of that day would be very slow.
When 'The Master' returned, he came back in a foul mood; without Nutik. Inari felt grief for him. He was such a nice dog, why'd he have to go? The kindly gray dog was now gone, out of Inari's life… for good.

 

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